Improvement in types



O. S. WESTGOTT.

Type.

' No. 205,986. Patented July 16,1878.

i W l? UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIoE.

CHARLES S. WESTCOTT, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT lN TYPES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 205,986, dated July 16, 1878; application filed June 5, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES S. WEsTcoTT, of the city and county of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Manner of Constructing Type; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a perspective "iew of my improved type; and Figs. 2 and 3 are cross-sections of the same, showing two ways of 0011- structing type in accordance with my improvement.

In setting ordinary type, either by hand or machine, difliculty is experienced from the angular edges or corners of the type, so much so that in hand composition a rule has to be placed upon the first line of type set before another can be set on it, as without this rule the vertical edges of the type catch against the previously-set line. When a line is to be justified, the insertion of the spaces causes the line, or part of it, to move or slide. The

sharp edges of the type prevent this unless it is done before the rule is removed. After type is in galley and corrections or alterations are required it becomes necessary to raise up the line to be altered or corrected, so that the type can slide to admit of the change.

When a form is locked up for press it frequently happens that some edge catches, and this deranges the compactness of the form, causes crooked lines, and sometimes throws the type off their feet, rendering unlocking the form and readjustment necessary, causing a loss of time and labor.

To obviate these diificulties I have constructed an entirely new form of type, changing it from the usual form of a rectangle or square to a form without angles at the vertical edges. I prefer rounded edges; but the same end would be accomplished by removing the edges by a straight line or bevel.

In type to be used in type-setting machines this new form of type will be very desirable, as it will admit of justification in galley, which is now very difficult.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

As a new article of manufacture, type for printing having its vertical edges rounded off or blunted, substantially as and for the purpose described.

C. S. WESTCOTT.

\Vitnesses:

W. R. WRIGHT, JOEL ZANE. 

